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RE: Plays

RE:PLAYS

Friday, July 17, 2020 at 7:00pm CDT through Facebook Live.

 

ORIGINAL PIECES REGARDING CURRENT EVENTS FROM THE BLACK AND ASIAN COMMUNITY

Artists are usually at the forefront of addressing social issues. These short plays re:imagine our reality, re:wind what has already transpired, re:cognize the hard work and heart work done by the community, and help us re:move prior negative perceptions so that we may do better.   

As a way to celebrate Black voices and Black/Asian solidarity, we’re bringing you three original plays responding to George Floyd’s murder and current events in the Twin Cities. Pairs of Black and Asian playwrights will co-write the pieces and we'll perform them LIVE at Mu-tini Hour on July 17.

TICKETS

Just like theater, this is a live event and will be streamed on our Facebook page. This event is free and open to the public, and to get a better sense of the event, please RSVP and let us know you’ll be there.

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  • DENOTES MEMBER OF ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION

 

BREATHE. LIVE. MOVE.

CREATIVE TEAM

Alayna Jacqueline is a Minneapolis-based playwright, born and raised in Buckeye Nation (Columbus, Ohio). She’s an instigator for new plays with the Twin Cities Playwright Cabal and the Membership and Development Coordinator at the Playwrights’ Center. In her absurd experimental writing, she loves finding new ways to bend, reshape, and deconstruct stories for the stage. Alayna’s work has been performed and/or developed at Phoenix Theater (MN), Market Garden Theatre (MN), Rennasaince Theaterworks (WI), Playwrights’ Center (MN), MadLab Theater (OH), Lincoln Theater (OH), Pythian Theater (OH), and Haybarn Theater (VT). Her All of the Everything was produced at the 2019 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival. Last fall, she completed a writing residency at the William Inge Center. She earned her BA in theater from Otterbein University and her MFA in creative writing from Goddard College.

ALAYNA JAQUELINE
Co-Playwright

Katie Ka Vang is a Hmong American playwright and theatre artist. Her work explores the complexities of culture, identity, dis-ease, survivorship, and the familial. Her plays and works include WTF, Hmong Bollywood, 5:1 Meaning of Freedom; 6:2 Use of Sharpening, Fast FWD Motions, In Quarantine, FINAL ROUND and Spirit Trust. Her work has been developed and presented at Pangea World Theater, Pillsbury House Theatre, Theater Mu, Leviathan Lab, Bushwick Starr (Brooklyn), Brown University, The Royal Court Theatre (London), The Walker Art Center, Out North Art House (Anchorage) and more. She's received support from The Jerome Foundation, Knight Foundation, NPN, MRAC, MSAB, and Coalition of Asian American Leaders. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Brown University and is a 2020/21 Many Voices Fellow at the Playwrights Center in Minneapolis.

KATIE KA VANG
Co-Playwright

H ADAM HARRIS
Director

 
 

CAST

Katie Bradley is an actor based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Select theater credits include: Indiana Repertory Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park: Murder on the Orient Express; Guthrie Theater: Guys and Dolls, A Christmas Carol (four seasons), South Pacific; Oregon Shakespeare Festival: The Cocoanuts, Into the Woods; Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles: Into the Woods (OSF production); Children’s Theatre Company: Disney’s Mulan Jr.; Theatre de la Jeune Lune: Antigone; Ten Thousand Things Theater: The Seven; Theater Mu: Several productions since 2006, including The Korean Drama Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ching Chong Chinaman, and Flower Drum Song; Full Circle Theater: Caught; Walking Shadow Theatre Company: after the quake; and History Theatre: Gloria: A Life. @katielynnebradley (IG)

KATIE BRADLEY*

JuCoby Johnson grew up in Jacksonville, FL, moved to the Twin Cities in 2011 and has been creating there ever since. He has been seen onstage at The Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Theater Mu, Ten Thousand Things Theatre Company and many more. His plays include "How It's Gon Be" (Underdog Theater, 2019) and "...but you could've held my hand" (O'Neill NPC 2020 Finalist). He is a 2020-2021 Many Voices Mentee at the Playwright's Center and a recipient of the 2020 New Now Commissions.

JUCOBY JOHNSON*

Laura is a Twin Cities actor and educator who has performed with many local companies including the Guthrie, Park Square, Pillsbury House, History Theatre, Old Log Theatre, Penumbra, Illusion Theatre, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, and At the Foot of the Mountain Women’s Theatre. As an educator she works at the Guthrie in their summer camp programs, library programs, special community request classes, acting levels I and II and does private coaching. Laura holds a BA from the University of Iowa and an MFA from the University of Minnesota.

LAURA ESPING

AIMEE K. BRYANT (she/her/hers) is an actor, singer, and teaching artist who has appeared on many stages throughout the Twin Cities and across the nation since graduating from Howard University. Some of her local credits include Crowns with New Dawn, Into the Woods with Ten Thousand Things, Nina Simone: Four Women at Park Square, Dat Black Mermaid Man Lady at Pillsbury House, How It’s Gon Be with Underdog, and A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie. Aimee K. Bryant is a 2015-16 McKnight Theater Artist Fellow at the Playwright's Center and City Pages named Aimee Best Actress of 2015 . Her debut album Becoming is available online. aimeekbryant.com

AIMEE K. BRYANT*

 

MOSQUITOES EMERGENCY MEETING

Ifrah Mansour is a Somali, refugee, Muslim, multimedia artist and an educator based in Minnesota. Her artwork explores trauma through the eyes of children to uncover the resiliencies of blacks, Muslims, and refugees. She interweaves poetry, puppetry, films, and installations. She's been featured in Middle East Eye, BBC, Vice, OkayAfrica, Star Tribune, and City Pages. Her critically-acclaimed, “How to Have Fun in a Civil War” premiered at Guthrie Theatre and toured to greater cities in Minnesota. Her first national museum exhibition; “Can I touch it” premiered at Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Her visual poem, “I am a Refugee” is part of PBS’s short Film festival. "My Aqal, banned and blessed" Premiered at Queens Museum in New York. Learn More: facebook.com/ifrahmansourart

IFRAH MANSOUR
Co-Playwright

Xiaolu was born a few hours before her favorite author, San Mao, died by suicide. She was raised by her grandparents 王玉明和吕凤英 until the biggest transition of her life she’s still transitioning to. She’s somewhere on the spectrum of a brave coward and an authentic imposter, a lazy talent and a professional napper with chronic boredom. She sometimes freezes mid-sentence in front of a crowd. Her yoga master would call it vata imbalance. There’s no explanation to this mystery. She remembers loss more than time, senses lies more than her needs. She gets better at escaping growing up, through literature, music, and films. She’s a voyeur of the interior world. Her work deals with the romanticization of guilt, dust, and intimate vengeance. She never took photos of any of her graduations.

XIAOLU WANG
Co-Playwright

Akiko Ostlund is a dancer, poet, performing artist, collage artist, curator, and activist. She began dancing as a tribal fusion belly dancer and cross-studies many dance forms such as salsa, bachata, hula, tutting. She was also a student of Ragamala school and studied classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam from 2014 to 2017. She often collaborates with puppeteers in various projects includes Barebones Halloween Extravaganza, Mayday Parade and Puppet Cabaret as well as projects with individual puppeteers. All of her works focus on community and reflect her voice as an immigrant woman of color. She is heavily invested in connecting with poc youth in her community. As a curator she regularly visits local high school showcases to familiarize herself with the new generation, and presents young artists in the shows she curates.

AKIKO OSTLUND
Director

Annie_Wang.jpg

ANNIE WANG
Dramaturg

 

CAST

Julia Gay (she/they) is a dancer, actor, playwright and stand-up comedian. She is a Chinese adoptee who writes and creates to bridge the vastness between memory, heart and home. Julia is a dancer with Ananya Dance Theatre and was the recipient of The Playwrights’ Center’s 2017-18 Many Voices Mentorship. In October 2019, as part of Dreamland Arts' Theaterwalla program, Julia produced her one-woman show, Motherlanded, exploring her personal narrative as a Chinese adoptee. Learn more about her work at www.juliagay.com.

Photo courtesy of Ananya Dance Theatre, photo credit Laichee Yang

JULIA GAY

Born and raised in the south side of Chicago, Demetrius McClendon, who is also known as ImagineJoy, began dancing with street hip-hop at the age of 15 and has traveled nationally and internationally as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer sharing their passion for the arts. Since graduating from Northern Illinois University in 2011, they have danced professionally with DanceWorks Chicago, TU Dance, Owen/Cox Dance Group and as a guest artist with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Twin Cities Ballet, and Minnesota Opera, among numerous other companies. As a facilitator/organizer that believes wholeheARTedly in the power of loving action, radical imagination, political education, and spiritual practice, they co-create with others to build experiences that heal and empower beloved communities.

DEMETRIUS MCCLENDON

D.P. Tran is a queer Vietnamese-American writer of mixed genres, and co-founder of Asian American Literary Collective in Minnesota. From films and fiction to poetry and plays, his style includes the fusing of science with social commentary and philosophy offering a unique perspective on how art is understood. He believes one must use all forms of knowledge to describe, and showcase ideas of beauty and horror. Jubilant by nature with a deep sense of macabre humor, his deconstructive imagination, and passion will leave you in awe wanting more. Recent work, and appearances include East Side Freedom Library’s ‘Scare the Covid Away’ series, and interviews from ‘Street Genius Radio’ 98.9 FM, and Lines and Lines podcast. He is currently working on a play ‘Kim,’ and an anthology ‘Manual for the Motherland Orphan.’

DANIEL TRAN

Wisdom Young is a writer, educator, activist and mother of three children ranging in ages from 5-22. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, LCD and a minor in African American Studies from the University of MN. Recently, Young received a Forecast Media Research and Development grant and was selected as an Our Space is Spoken For, collaborative artist for TCMA. In the past she has been selected to participate in Flow: Northside arts crawl, the Givens Black Writers Retreat and Blacker the Berry at Intermedia Arts.

Wisdom is inspired by God, the ancestors, her people and the power of words. Popular themes in her work are: Black feminine resilience, love, memory, and commentary on justice or political issues. She loves poet, Langston Hughes, who said so much with so few words. Her favorite song is Before I let Go by Frankie Beverly and Maze.

WISDOM YOUNG

 

LIFE SOUNDS

CREATIVE TEAM

Harry Waters, Jr.- created the role of Belize in the first production of Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes in 1991. He is most famous for his portrayal of Marvin Berry in Back to the Future (1985) which earned him a Gold record for his rendition of "Earth Angel." Acting Credits also include Adventures in Wonderland, and Big Bully as well as numerous television guest-starring roles. Born in Tulsa, and raised in Denver, Colorado, he attended Princeton University and received his MFA in Directing from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He worked as an actor in New York City on and off Broadway for many years as well as at theatres including Mark Taper Forum, Arizona Theater Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks, ACT and the San Jose Repertory Theatre. Currently in the Twin Cities, he has appeared on stages as diverse as The Guthrie, Penumbra Theater Company, Mixed Blood, Ten Thousand Things Theater, Pangea World Theatre and Park Square in RAGTIME as Coalhouse Walker Jr., Pillsbury House+ Theatre, and Dark & Stormy Theatre. Mr. Waters has directed numerous productions around the Twin Cities (YBGM for Queertopia and HOW TO BE A COMPLETE SOUTHERN WOMAN for the Fringe Festival) as well as around the country (WAITING FOR GIOVANNI at New Conservatory Theatre Company in San Francisco). He has worked as a Facilitator for the Many Voices Roundtable at The Playwrights' Center where he has inspired the careers of numerous emerging writers of color. He is an Professor and recent Chair of the Theatre and Dance Department at Macalester College, where he has directed productions of Runaways, Proof, Angels In America Part I: Millennium Approaches, Th Colored Museum, Tartuffe, Cabaret, The Laramie Project Project, a student devised piec Hip Hop Hopes, In The Blood, The Cradle Will Rock, “green: an elegy to summer” and URINETOWN. This past year he has directed Bulrusher at Sonoma State University and Fences at Nevada Conservatory Theatre. He is working with his son, Jordon Waters, on WING IT (inspired by the tale of Icarus and Daedalus) continuing their performative conversations about fathers, sons, and sexual identity.

HARRY WATERS JR.
Co-Playwright / Director

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is a Lao American writer. Her work focuses on creating tools and spaces for the amplification of refugee voices through poetry, theater, and experimental cultural production. Her plays have been presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Theater Mu, and Theater Unbound. She’s a Playwrights’ Center and Theater Mu fellow in playwriting, a Loft Literary Center fellow in poetry (2018) and children's literature (2019), a Twin Cities Media Alliance fellow in public art, and an Aspen Ideas Bush Foundation fellow. She's received grants from the Jerome Foundation, Bush Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Forecast Public Art, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, MN State Arts Board, and elsewhere. Her work has been mentioned by the NY Times, Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, Mn Original, Minnesota Public Radio and more. She holds a Master in Liberal Studies degree and co-hosted a podcast on Minnesota Public Radio.

SAYMOUKDA VONGSAY
Co-Playwright

 
 

CAST

Richard Graham designs sound, lighting, and media for theater in the Twin Cities. He’s excited to continue working with Theater Mu, now at a distance over Zoom. Previous Mu credits in the physical realm include Hot Asian Doctor Husband and Peerless. Recent: Mixed Blood, Interstate; Teatro del Pueblo: From Puerto Rico with Love; Park Square, Rocky Horror; Trade Mark Theater, Understood; 20+ productions at Macalester College, including Letters Home, Dying City, Distracted, No Child, Venus in Fur, Motherlanded. Upcoming, eventually, post-quarantine: Gremlin, Amadeus.

RICHARD GRAHAM

Sun Mee Chomet is happy to make her ZOOM acting debut with her beloved Theater Mu. She has worked with many theaters locally and nationally including Lincoln Center's LCT3, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Ten Thousand Things Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Pillsbury House Theatre, History Theatre, and many more. At Theater Mu, her favorite role thus far was playing Blythe in Leah Nanako Winkler’s Two Mile Hollow (2019 City Pages’ Productions of the Decade List, 2018 Twin Cities Theater Bloggers’ Favorite Comedic Performance Award). Sun Mee is determined to help keep Minnesota theaters afloat during this challenging time. She is a theater-maker who believes art and social justice are inextricably intertwined.

SUN MEE CHOMET*

MIKELL SAPP*

RAFA MORAGA